Monday, May 3, 2010

The Test Realm and Power Pets

Some say that wanting something a lot makes having it a bit of a let down. Sometimes the actual product can't possibly live up to the hype. It's understandable, because the imagination has a habit of skewing what we see. However, knowing that doesn't make something less disappointing.

The Power Pets. After more than a month, we excitedly crowded the test realm...only to find that the pets weren't as powerful as we thought. I know I'm not the only one, but I still want to voice some complaints/suggestions.

The Maze Game- The controls just feel a bit weird. The whole not-four-set-directions-to-move make it seem a bit cumbersome to move around in the maze, which makes the game itself harder. It's still possible to get an "Awesome!" rating without having every piece of fruit, but it seems less fluid somehow.

Dance Game- Gotta agree with Friendly on this one. Either make it full on DDR, or Simon Says. As it is, it seems so..basic. I feel like the mechanics as they are just aren't challenging enough. Maybe ramp it up just a little bit?

The other two training Games I don't have much of a problem with, although there are some bugs to be worked out (Anyone else hit the target in the cannon game without it counting?).

Pet Derby- Do love this one, but some serious issues. Namely, the lag, the walls, and the derby powers. The lag isn't really the fault of anyone, but is in many cases a game breaker. It really can determine if you win by a longshot or trail miserably. The walls are just misleading. Are we supposed to be able to 'dodge' them like fences? I sometimes get a slowdown message, and sometimes not. I can never tell if it's a bug, or lag, or I got lucky and successfully dodged. Also, the derby powers really seem unfairly distributed. Some pets get the power to lay bombs, or speed up without cheering. My Colossus sure got the short end of the stick, with the ability to make others morale go away. Sure, it inconveniences them, but it sure isn't as powerful as blasting an opponent.

Also, does it seem very fair to raise the XP gap between levels and make it cost more per game? Baby to Teen is no problem, with 125 XP required and only 2 energy required per game. By Ancient, you need 1000 XP and you can only play six times on a full energy bar. Epic pets are supposed to be the very best, but that seems a little bit large.

Three quick, unrelated notes: One, I got a full Ice School Jester outfit, which means that from now on I shall be rejoicing in the name of the Winter Harlequin (or something. I'll work on it). Second, my myth wizard, Wolf Griffintail, made it to Krokotopia yesterday!

Excellent. He is well on his way through the Royal Hall, so he should be to Marleybone quickly enough. Third, I shall be taking AP Exams starting tomorrow and lasting until next week. I need to do well on them, and so shall be focusing on them instead of Wizard101 for the next 2 weeks. Don't expect posts until next Wednesday at the earliest.